Urban  Design:    Principles,  Elements,  and  

Techniques  

Presented  by:  Dr.  Anas  Almughairy  Assistant  Professor  of  Metropolitan  Planning  &  Governance  

College  of  Architecture  &  Planning  

Design  4  

Daniel  Burnham  (Urban  Planner)    ,Edward  Benne6  (architect)&  

Frederick  Law  Olmsted  (Landscape  Architect  

and  Planner)    

Dr.  Henry  Howard  Holmes  (Serial  Killer)  

Lyman  Gage(Banker)  

World’s  Columbian  ExposiGon.  Chicago  1893  

Master  Plan  of  World’s  Columbian  ExposiGon.  Chicago  1893    

•  Chicago  Fair  was  meant  to  show  the  American  exepGonalism.  

•  It  was  visited  by  over  than  27  million  people  from  all  around  the  world.  

•  More  than  40,000  workers  were  employed  in  the  construcGon  The  Chicago  Fair.    

Wooded  Islands  today    

Museum   of   Science   and  Industry   is   the   only   building  standing   aTer   fire   destroyed  the  Chicago  World  Fair    

Urban  Design  Defini.ons  &  Principles    

   

•  Urban  design  exists  at  a  crossroads  of  city  planning,  landscape  architecture  and  architecture.  

Urban  Design  

Architecture  

City  Planning  

Landscape  Architectur

e  

What  is  Urban  Design?  

•  Urban  design  is  concerned  with  how  places  func.on,  not  just  how  they  look.  

•  It  funcGons  as  a  collaboraGve,  creaGve  process  between  several  disciplines  and  results  in  three  dimensional  urban  forms  and  space,  enhancing  the  life  of  the  city  and  its  inhabitants  (Wall  &  Waterman,  2010)  

The Birth of Urban Design (as a discipline) •  In the 1960s, planning and architecture were split (Gosling & maitland,

1984:7) •  Planning concentrated on land use patterns and socio-economic issues

(macro) •  Architecture concentrated on the design of buildings (micro) •  There emerged a responsibility gap where design of public space was

concerned •  Urban design came in to bridge this gap

Principles  of  Urban  Design  1-­‐  Places  for  people.    Urban  spaces  and  places  must  be  safe,  have  a  sense  of  idenGty,  provide  a  variety  of  use  and  be  vibrant.  Successful  urban  spaces  allow  for  social  interacGons  to  occur  (Gehl,  2011).    

2-­‐  Enrich  the  Exis.ng.    Urban  spaces  must  respond  to  their  surrounding  context  and  create  a  mutual  relaGonship  between  the  areas.  The  spaces  should  compliment  one  another’s  strengths  and  minimize  their    weaknesses  (Jacobs,  1993)  

3-­‐  Connect  to  the  Surrounding  Urban  Fabric.    Urban  places  must  be  permeable,  accessible  and  connected  to  surrounding  transportaGon  and  traffic  routes.  The  spaces  must  funcGon  with  the  surrounding  circulaGon  routes.  

4-­‐  Work  the  Landscape.    Urban  spaces  should  work  with  the  landscape,  its  form,  ecology,  micro  climate  and  natural  funcGons.  This  will  maintain  the  landscape  character  of  the  area  and  minimize  energy  input  and  the  level  of  disturbance  caused  to  the  site  (McHarg,  1992)  

6-­‐  Mixed  Land  Use.    A  variety  of  forms,  uses  and  acGviGes  will  a_ract  a  large  diversity  of  users  from  various  ethnic  groups,  social  classes  and  age  groups.  This  will  result  maximum  use  of  the  space  throughout  the  day  and  year  (Jacobs,  1993).  

7-­‐  Variety  of  Modes  of  Transport.    Urban  Design  should  offer  variety  of  urban  transport  modes  from  walking  to  using  bikes  ,  transit,  and  cars  (Urban  Design  Associates,  2013)    

8-­‐  Sustainability.    Urban  places  must  be  sustainable,  economically  viable  and  maintained  to  conGnue  success  and  funcGon  of  the  space  (Jacobs,  1993).  

Sustainable  urban  design  strives  to  achieve  economic,  environmental,  and  social  objecGves.    

Elements  Urban  Design  

   

Elements  of  Urban  Design    1-­‐  Streets  and  Trails.        •  Residen.al  Streets   •  Commercial  Streets  

Elements  of  Urban  Design    1-­‐  Streets  and  Trails.         •  Boulevards.  

Elements  of  Urban  Design    1-­‐  Streets  and  Trails  (Trail  Network).        •  On-­‐Street  Trail   •  Off-­‐  Street  Trail  

Elements  of  Urban  Design    2-­‐  Open  Space.        •  Parks   •  Play  Grounds  

Elements  of  Urban  Design    2-­‐  Open  Space.        •  Public  Square   •  Waterways  

Elements  of  Urban  Design    4-­‐  Buildings.        •  Residen.al  Building   •  One-­‐Story    Commercial  

Elements  of  Urban  Design    4-­‐  Buildings.        •  Mixed-­‐use  Building   •  Civic  Building  

Elements  of  Urban  Design    4-­‐  Urban  Block.        •  Small  Block   •  Large  Block  

Architectural  Values  in  Urban  Design    

Is the most prominent aspect of urban design. The following artistic principles are an integral part of creating form and spatial definition:

• Unity • Balance • Proportion • Scale • Hierarchy • Symmetry • Rhythm • Contrast

• Context • Detail • Texture • Harmony • Beauty • Order

What  makes  Urban  Design  different  from    Architecture    1-­‐  Scale.      

What  makes  Urban  Design  different  from    Architecture        

2-­‐    Design  Process.  

What  makes  Urban  Design  different  from    Architecture        3-­‐  Product  

Urban  design  is  the  art  of  place  making  while  architecture  is  the  art  building  making  

In  urban  design  you  key  quesGons  are  who  will  live  in  this  place?  and  how  they  will  use  it?    

Q  &  A  Thank  you